Bright Eyes

Conor Oberst put out a solid album with his band Commander Venus when he was thirteen. Thirteen!? When I was thirteen, I poured all of my creative energy into my final 8th grade project on Brazil (I have to admit, though, it was pretty cool. It was this 3D map that showed all of Brazil's main imports and exports. Those little candy bananas I found at 7-11 were the key to the whole operation).

Conor then decides to forget Commander Venus and form a new band that explodes to indie rock stardom: Bright Eyes. Not only that, he and his high school pals start their own record label, Saddle Creek, which is now home to bands such as Cursive, Azure Ray and The Faint.

It seems everything this guy touches turns to gold. And with good reason -- his voice is completely distinctive and his lyrics border on Dylan-esque. But it's still hard not to hate the guy. Ah, jealousy. The curse of many a man.